Australian travellers have an extra $100 to blow on empanadas, alfajores or vino when travelling through Argentina because the country just ditched its reciprocity fee for Australian passport holders.
The US$100 fee plus processing charges was suspended on 1 July by Argentina’s tourism leaders as part of plans to increase the country’s appeal.
Prior to the change, Australian travellers entering Argentina (whether by plane, land or cruise) were required to pay the charge in order to freely visit the country on multiple occasions within a 12-month period.
The Executive Chairman at Argentina’s National Institute of Tourism Promotion Roberto Palais said dropping the reciprocity fee was just one of a range of policies designed to make the country “more competitive and affordable”, Myajc.com reported.
“Our goal is to position Argentina among the world’s top travel destinations by making it more competitive and affordable.”
Roberto Palais, National Institute of Tourism Promotion Executive Chairman
Local Latin America specialists, Chimu Adventures, welcomed the fee suspension, saying it’s yet another milestone in making Argentina a favourite travel hot spot among Australians.
“Demand for Argentina has been booming for us and the fee suspension will only reinforce this trend,” Chimu Adventures Co-Founder Chad Carey said.
“With air capacity being at record heights and airfares as competitive as never before, we are expecting Argentina to fly high for years to come.”
Carey continued, saying that there are now more reasons than ever to stop over in the ‘the Paris of South America’, Buenos Aires.
“A cultural goldmine with its European heritage and world-famous cuisine, Buenos Aires is a place that truly represents Latin spirit, flair and essence that can be felt from the moment you set foot in the metropole,” he said.
Click here to check out Chimu Adventures’ four-day Buenos Aires Stopover package.